It‘s right there on page 458. “Rowen’s pure stuff might be the worst in the 2014 Prospect Handbook.” His Baseball America write-up goes on to say Rowen — the No. 23 prospect in the Texas Rangers system — has “a chance to crack the big league bullpen in 2014.”

Ben Rowen is a submariner. The 25-year-old right-hander out of Virginia Tech is also a sinkerball specialist. Last year between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, he logged a 3.4 GB/FB rate. In 51 relief appearances he had a 0.69 ERA.

Rowen talked about his down-under delivery earlier this week. Read the rest of this entry »

The sample size isn’t huge and the level of competition hasn‘t been high, but Tommy La Stella’s numbers still have meaning. The Atlanta Braves second-base prospect has hit .327/.412/.496 in 999 plate appearances in three professional seasons. Last season, at Double-A Mississippi, he hit .343.

An eighth-round pick in 2011 out of Coastal Carolina, La Stella is steady. He isn’t flashy, nor does he possess elite tools. What he brings, though, are a combination of solid all-around skills and a disciplined approach. The 25-year old has more walks than strikeouts as a professional.

La Stella talked about his development in the final week of the Arizona Fall League season. Read the rest of this entry »

Matt Harvey will be as confident as ever when he returns from Tommy John surgery. Not only does he expect to be fully healthy, he’ll be back to where he feels most comfortable. The young New York Mets ace said as much when I spoke to him in January.

The first time I talked to Harvey, he wasn’t yet in his comfort zone. It was April 2012 and he was pitching for Triple-A Buffalo. His big-league debut was still three months away.

At the time, Harvey was chomping at the bit. Questions remained about his readiness, but they weren’t being raised by the right-hander. Harvey told me, “I’d like to think I’m right there. It’s never my decision, but I’m always going to be ready, both mentally and physically.” He went on to say he wouldn’t be intimidated.

Read the rest of this entry »

James Ramsey is blessed with natural talent. Pair that with the knack the St. Louis Cardinals have for developing hitters, and the 24-year-old outfield prospect has a bright future. It doesn’t hurt that Ramsey’s brains are every bit a match for his brawn.

A former Rhodes Scholar candidate who was drafted 23th overall in 2012 out of Florida State University, Ramsey achieved passing grades in his first full professional season. Swinging from the left side, he hit .265/.373/.440, with 16 home runs, between high-A Palm Beach and Double-A Springfield.

Not all evaluators have faith in Ramsey becoming an impact player — “high floor, low ceiling” is a refrain — but even the skeptics agree he’s a future big-leaguer. Ramsey finished up his 2013 campaign in the Arizona Fall League, where he discussed his development. Read the rest of this entry »

A month after being drafted 15th overall in 2012, Tyler Naquin talked about how his approach to hitting is “very simple” and about how he’d “never had a hitting instructor.” A little more than 18 months later, the 22-year-old outfield prospect is a more-refined version of the same player. He is also the most promising young hitter in the Cleveland Indians system.

Naquin spent most of his first full professional season at High-A Carolina, where his left-handed stroke produced a .275/.345/.424 slash line. He subsequently scuffled in an 18-game stint at Double-A Akron, but rebounded to hit .339 in the Arizona Fall League. Along the way, he made subtle, yet meaningful, adjustments.

Naquin talked about his developmental strides, and his expectations of hitting for plus-power, late last week. Read the rest of this entry »

Nick Travieso had an up-and-down first full professional season. That doesn’t mean the Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect didn’t make great strides. The 2012 first-round pick learned a lot, which is ultimately more important than his 7-4 record or 4.63 ERA with the low-A Dayton Dragons.

Travieso celebrated his 20th birthday at the end of January, and he’ll head into spring training looking to improve on his 2013 campaign. He’ll do so with a better grasp of his mechanics, and full confidence in his plus fastball and swing-and-miss slider.

Travieso talked about his growing pains, and what he learned from them, late in the minor-league season. Read the rest of this entry »

Barring unforeseen circumstances, J.R. Murphy isn’t going to be the New York Yankees’ starting catcher anytime soon. Not with Brian McCann inked to a five-year contract worth $85 million. But that doesn’t preclude Murphy from having a bright future, be it in the Bronx or elsewhere.

A second-round pick in 2009 out of a Bradenton, Fla., high school, Murphy has developed into an able backstop. The 22-year-old threw out nearly half the runners attempting to steal against him last year in the minor leagues. He also can handle the bat. In 108 games at Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .269/.347/.426, with a dozen home runs.

Murphy got his first taste of big-league action in September, getting 27 plate appearances. He talked about his development prior to a game at Fenway Park. Read the rest of this entry »

Early last summer, I wrote an article for Baseball Digest magazine that began with a quote from Bobby Cox. The Hall of Fame manager said, “They’ve got their RBIs in their gloves.” He was referring to weak-hitting shortstops with elite defensive ability. A few paragraphs later, I brought up Jose Iglesias.

Whether Iglesias fits that profile is a matter of debate. The 24-year-old ended up far outperforming expectations by hitting .303/.349/.386 between Boston and Detroit. He also had a .356 BABiP. The jury is still out on his bat.

There aren’t any questions about his glove. Iglesias is a human highlight reel at the shortstop position. His one-motion-catch-and-throw of an infield roller last summer was probably the defensive play of the year. His basket catch in short left field, in the ALCS, wasn’t far behind. Simply put, he makes plays no one else — OK, maybe Andrelton Simmons — can. By the eye-test, Iglesias is nothing short of brilliant.

The numbers don’t disagree. Read the rest of this entry »

Jesse Biddle is better than the 5-14 record and 5.3 BB/9 he logged last season with Double-A Reading. A lot better. As a matter of fact, the 22-year-old lefthander is on the verge of breaking into the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation.

Biddle battled health issues in 2013. Diagnosed with whooping cough in April, he doggedly took the mound at less than full strength the entire season. In August, he toed the rubber with a case of plantar fasciitis.

A first-round pick in 2011 out of Germantown Friends School in suburban Philadelphia, Biddle has one of the best curveballs in minor league baseball. He also has a surprising role model. His stuff is that of a power pitcher, but Biddle is a big believer in the ways of Jamie Moyer. Read the rest of this entry »

Kyle Parker has a simple approach to hitting. The 24-year-old Colorado Rockies prospect likes to hunt fastballs, and when he gets one, he takes a healthy rip. Parker has power. He hit 23 bombs in Tulsa last year, and he’ll hit plenty more at Coors Field if he can fine-tune his plate discipline. The former college quarterback isn’t a hacker, but his approach needs honing.

Drafted 26th overall in 2010 out of Clemson University, Parker projects as a middle-of-the-order bat in either a corner outfield position or at first base. He‘s coming off a .288/.345/.492 performance in Double-A, and could easily hopscotch from Triple-A Colorado Springs to Denver by midseason. Parker discussed his game earlier this week. Read the rest of this entry »